Focal Point - March 2009

FOCAL POINT                    Issue No. 340

 March 2009

 

  Ed's Comments

 

Only a few weeks left before we move the clocks forward on the last Sunday of the month.-  I just love writing that!

 

There are quite a few special days this month with St David's day on the 1st , St Patrick's day on the 17th and St Piran's day on the 5th .

St Piran, who is he? He happens to be the Patron saint of Cornwall. Apparently he floated over from Ireland on a millstone or hearthstone and landed between Newquay and Perranporth on a beach that now bears his name - Perran.

 

I thought that if Cornwall had a patron saint then perhaps Nottinghamshire had one as well.

 So onto the internet I go and one entry brought back fond memories.

          It said: - ‘Xylophone Man the patron saint of Nottingham'.

 

Anyone visiting Nottingham city centre between 1990 and 2003 would I feel sure have come across the xylophone man; usually seated somewhere near Woolworths and the C & A stores.

 He couldn't play a note and because of that everyone took to him. No matter how you felt you just had to smile.

His actual name was Frank Robinson and he lived in Cotgrave. He ‘busked' for about 15years and when he died in 2004 aged 73 the church was packed for his funeral.

He gave an interview in 2003 and when asked where he got his inspiration from he said that he liked ‘Elvis and a bit of the Beatles' and no he didn't know anyone who played the xylophone, only himself.

His notoriety would have been widespread; with Nottingham being a University City, students from all over the country would have known him.

 

Cliff Newbold

Closing date for the April issue is the 20th March.

 

 

 

COMMUNITY CENTRE

 

LUNCH CLUB

The next lunch will be at 12.30pm on Monday, 2nd March.

The menu will be:-

Beef in Red Wine Casserole

or

Smoked Haddock in Cheese Sauce

with

New Potatoes, Green Beans & Cauliflower

-x-

Syrup Sponge & Custard

 

£7 including a glass of wine. Please phone Jean and Peter Foden (704241) not later than Thursday, 26th February to book your place and give your choice of menu.

 

QUIZ NIGHT

 

The Quiz Night on Saturday, 7th February was a great success thanks to David Barthorpe and his team of helpers and everyone who attended. The night raised nearly £400 towards the upkeep of the Centre.

 Once again the winning team was the Holme Aloners but this time they were very closely chased by another team - also from Holme!

Frances Kelly, Chairman

 

 

 

TUESDAY CLUB

Both meetings in March are in the Village Hall.

 

Tuesday, 10th March. 10.30am, Morning coffee, 50p.

 

Tuesday, 24th March. 2.30pm "More Favourite Poems" - please bring a favourite poem or reading. We did this about two years ago and had quite a variety of poems - one member even sang a song!

 

Jean Foden.

 

 

WINTHORPE & DISTRICT W.I REPORT

 

Mrs. Sylvia Lloyd welcomed members and visitors to our meeting. Apologies were received from some members.

Mrs. Brenda Tinsley read the minutes and business was discussed and correspondence was read out, including a letter from A.C.W.W. requesting donations for women in India who need better equipment for breaking up rocks to make gravel, which is their main means of employment and wages to support their families.

 

Mrs. Vivienne Clarkson and Mrs. Sheila Palmer have arranged an afternoon trip to the Ten-pin bowling alley in Newark for March 19th. At  2-15 p.m.

Some members had expressed a wish to go to the Palace Theatre for the Amateur Operatic Society's performance of 42nd. Street, but they will have to make their own arrangements for transport, as there were not enough people to book a coach.

 

‘I made it, I show it.' was the theme of the evening and what a lot of talent we have in our Institute .There were pictures, either painted or with pressed flowers and also collage. Lots of embroidery, tapestry, cross stitch, petit- point as well as wood-carving, pottery, patchwork, bobbin lace, card- making, small decorated boxes and a beautiful coat made by one member, but only worn once. Each member described her work to the audience and there were some very interesting or amusing tales to tell, the most poignant being from Mrs.Rose Dickinson who showed her tiny knitted baby garments which are given to hospitals for mothers to put on their still-born babies so they can hold them and have a photograph taken as a memory of the child. The garments are then used for the burial. The girls have a small angel brooch and the boys have a teddy which are removed and saved by the parents with the photographs.

The work displayed was judged by Mrs. Dys Gold who is our longest serving member.

The winner was Mrs. Brenda Tinsley with a pottery model of her and her husband on a garden bench, second Mrs. Daphne Marshall with a patchwork quilt and third was Mrs. Kath Harvey with a tapestry stool.

 

Our next meeting is on March 12th. Which is the A.G.M.

Members are asked to put their names forward for the committee.

 

Hostesses are Mesdames Sheila Palmer, Sandra Leigh and Elaine Thornton.

 

Daphne Marshall

 

 

GARDEN CLUB                                               

Last months talk turned out to be less Gardens of the East Midlands but rather Journey into the Unknown!  We welcomed the return of Hazel Kaye who recounted her journey to Tibet in July 2005.  She travelled with a group under the auspices of the Alpine Plant Society, effectively following part of the route from Llasa to the Himalayas taken by George Mallory in the 1920's.  Their main objective was a remote valley looking towards Mt. Everest which Mallory dubbed The Most Beautiful Valley on Earth.

 

Lots of colourful slides illustrated the towns, villages and peoples of the region as the group travelled first in 4x4's and then as the terrain became too difficult, on foot with yaks carrying their equipment.  As most of Tibet is more than 9000 feet above sea level and the expedition climbed to over 18000 feet, the terrain was largely rocky interspersed with sandy plains apparently largely devoid of vegetation.  However, various phlomis, unusual asters, primulas, corydalis and assorted meconopsis were found, though sometimes only a single specimen.  Around some villages where alluvial soil permitted crops to be grown, a number of different clematis was also cultivated. 

 

At one of the highest points of the journey a single specimen of primula caveana was found, appropriately sheltered beneath a mushroom - shaped rock.  At these altitudes most plants had foliage and flowers hugging the ground in order to withstand the high winds.

 

A reminder that our annual outing is on June 17th when we will visit Scampston Hall and Gardens and Jacksons Wold Garden with an evening meal on the return journey.

 

The speaker on March 18th is Alan Bowker and his subject :-

 

                               Three English Gardens in Italy.

 Ian Wilson

 

 

WINTHORPE SCHOOL

 

Our next pensioner's lunch will be on Wednesday 18th March at 12 noon. Please call the school to book your place.

                       

Jamie Macintyre, Head teacher. - (01636) 680060

            School.office@winthorpe.notts.sch.uk

 

SCHOOL LOGO COMPETITION

 

Our old school logo is now over 20 years old. It was designed by Mr Ball when he became head teacher in 1987. Mr Ball chose our stag logo because the school at that time had no logo at all and he was a huge fan of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, who also have a stag as their logo.

Mr Macintyre, the staff and the school council believed it was time we updated the school logo.

 

The School Council decided to run a election to design our new logo. It was not an art competition it was the idea that was important. We wanted a logo that meant something special to our school.

 

Entries were handed to Mr Macintyre on Monday 26th January. The  School Council then shortlisted 3 logos.

Later in the week an election was held by the school councillors and the winner was revealed in our Friday assembly. 

 

Our new school logo got 57.2% of the votes. It was chosen because we have a sunflower competition every year for children from Winthorpe School, Langford and Holme; kindly run by Mr Finn. The sunflower also symbolises how the children in the school grow and bloom during their time at Winthorpe.

 

          The winning entry was professionally converted into our school logo by a  graphic designer.

 

          Our new school logo was designed by Louella Monk (Year 5)

 

          Luke Watson and Maggie Shuckburgh

 

 

 WINTHORPE TENNIS CLUB

invite you to their

AGM

7.30 pm

Friday 3 April

Meeting Room

Winthorpe Community Centre

We would welcome some fresh blood to join the Committee so if you are interested please come along

 

 Saturday 7 July

Village Festival  

The tennis courts will be available to play tennis.

We are hoping to have mini tennis equipment available in the Community Centre.

 

 

Maureen Smith - 01636 701205

                               Club Secretary

 

    

   RECTOR

        Dear all,

 

The publication of this month's Focal Point coincides with the beginning of Lent. This period in the Christian Calendar provides a biblical focus for a time of reflection looking towards Easter and the death and resurrection of Jesus.

 

At the beginning of February, which we will all remember in years to come for it's very seasonal, but seldom experienced snow, Candlemas was celebrated at St. Giles' Holme. I am grateful for the hard work of wardens Doreen Hallam and Nigel Priestley. Despite the weather conditions over 40 folk from across the whole group gathered and with good support from the East Trent Churches Choir a moving and memorable service was held.

 

Most of us live busy lives often struggling to balance work and family commitments.

Keeping the family and or work diary can easily dominate life.  On the one hand tight diary management can ensure the effective use of nearly every hour. On the other it can prevent spontaneity, an ingredient which can provides some of the real joy of living.  It might be an unplanned phone call to a friend and having a good chat, going with a friend for a walk, perhaps a trip out for a meal or to the cinema if the budget allows. In reality anything, but spontaneity is key.  Keep the diary, of course but keep some room for personal space and some more for spontaneity.

 

Looking back through the recent pages and entries in my diary I am not a shining example of spontaneity. As I look ahead to the inclusion of the Clifton group sometime in March, completing the diocesan plan for the East Trent Group of Churches.  I can see that to have a proper balance between work and play, keeping and working my diary will be central to my wellbeing and that of the whole group.

One of the priorities at the Rectory every week for my administrator Marion and I, is tracking diary commitments.  These don't just consist of appointments, planned pastoral encounters and parochial, Deanery and Diocesan meetings, but also space to prepare the four or more articles that are either printed or broadcast during the period and of course preparation for my sermons! And of course then there are rotas and hymn lists.....

In short for me to be spontaneous takes some planning!

As we move into this new period in our church development administration of the whole group is going to be time consuming. I will be getting acclimatised managing eleven parishes and getting to know some of the people.

My colleague the Rev. Ken Potter who is currently the Priest for the existing Clifton Group will remain in post for some months following the creation of the East Trent Churches Group.

 

We are fast approaching our Annual General Meeting. At the meeting the previous years work is reviewed. From time to time elections are held with regard to the membership of the PCC, Churchwardens, Treasurer and Secretary in order that the respective roles do not become to burdensome.  As you will have read in last months magazine Alan Stone our churchwarden would welcome help.  Alan services the church faithfully and his work is appreciated. As Alan wrote in the February edition "I'm in my 76th year and have a health problem" 

 In consequence we need your help, we need you! 

 

The church relies on the help and support of volunteers, so if you have some time you could offer to the church we would very much like to hear from you.  All Saints remains an important part of our village and its life. We hope it will remain so for a long time.   If you have a skill that you think might be useful pleased get in touch.

 

Yours in Christ, David

 

   

 

 CHURCH NOTICES 

As we leave a cold and very sad winter we look forward to spring which is already showing itself with snowdrops and aconites. I know we all feel better when the days lengthen and we can enjoy our gardens.

It is also the time for the church Annual General Meeting to be held in the Village Hall on Monday 16th March. This commences with the Vestry Meeting at 7pm when the Parish chooses the churchwardens. Any member of the village can nominate a churchwarden and vote at this meeting. The Annual General Meeting will commence at 7.15pm when the people who are on the church Electoral Roll can choose the officers and members to serve on the Parochial Church Council.

As I will be retiring as churchwarden at the annual meeting in 2010,

 (if re-elected this year). I am hoping that someone from the village would be prepared to come forward and help me this year with a view to taking my place next year. I hope to be still around and involved and give support to them if required.

 

The church plays an important part in village life as does the school and if possible it needs to be preserved. Church-going is part of a tradition that unfortunately is declining. Please help it to continue.

 

We are pleased to see that Malcolm Shelmerdine is able to come to church again and join the bus party to the town .Unfortunately Nan Jackson is confined to bed and very bored - she would welcome a visitor occasionally but please contact Steve before you go. We are thinking of Phil & Beryl Watts who are supporting each other.

 

From the registers

R.I.P Allan Hill - Interment of ashes (2 7th January)

R.I.P Peter Brooks - Interment of ashes.( 16th February)

 

Church Bells :- They will ring for practices on Thursday evenings from

7 pm until 9pm and possibly for the following:-

March 7th - 10.l5am Holy Communion service.

March 14th - 10.15am Family Service.

 

Alan  Stone

 

Up-to-date notices of our church services and those of the other church services in the Benefice are displayed in the Post Office.

 

 

 


                     SERVICES IN MARCH

                       

                        Sunday 1st

                        9.00am            Holy Communion, Holme.

                                                 NO SERVICE IN WINTHORPE

 

            Sunday 8th     Second Sunday in Lent

           

             10.15am                       Holy Communion, Winthorpe. 

             5pm                               Evensong, Langford.      

 

            Sunday 15th   Third Sunday in Lent

 

            9.am                             Holy Communion, Langford

            10,15am                       Family Service, Winthorpe.

 

            Thursday 19th

 

            10am                            Holy Communion, (BCP), Winthorpe.

 

            Sunday 22nd  Fourth Sunday in Lent (Mothering Sunday)

 

            8am                              Holy Communion, Winthorpe.

            10.15am                       Family Service, Holme.

 

            Sunday 29th Passion Sunday

                                                 NO SERVICE IN WINTHORPE

             East Trent Evensong 6.15pm at St John the Baptist, Collingham

 

                                               ALL ARE WELCOME

 

                     CHURCH CLEANING VOLUNTEERS

                       MARCH                                     APRIL

        13th Mrs Foden, Mrs Hill                  10th  Miss Applewhite

27th Mrs Lloyd, Mrs Nelson            24th Mrs Young, Mrs Lloyd.

 

 

 

MARCH CALENDAR

Monday 2nd            Luncheon Club, 12.30pm  - Centre.

                                  Silver Bin

Thursday 5th           Library Van

Monday 9th             Green Bin

Tuesday 10th          Tuesday Club Coffee Morning - 10.30am  V.H.

Monday 16th           Church AGM, 7pm - Village Hall.

                                   Silver Bin

Wednesday 18th     Garden Club, 7.30pm - Centre.

Thursday 19th          Library Van

Monday 23rd            Green Bin

Tuesday 24th           Tuesday Club, Poems, 2.30pm - V.H.

Monday 30th              Silver Bin

 

APRIL

Friday 3rd               Tennis Club AGM

 

'